And Now… Argentina

You see, prior to going on that trip, I had lived in Colombia and Ecuador for the large part of 1.5 years and had fallen in love with Medellin.

Then, I experienced a different world with Brazil. It was a world that re-opened my eyes to new possibilities, new places, and new people. Granted, it was a bit too expensive for me at this point in my life, but it was just great.

It reminded me that even if I find one particular place that I like a lot, there still are other places out there, with their own unique cultures and various characteristics that could add value to my life.

It reminded me that finding your place in the world is not a journey where there are only a few great places to be. It’s more like a buffet and “the world is your oyster.” I realized I could be happy in more than one place.

It is this desire to explore other places that now pushes me into Argentina. I have read many, many blog and forum posts about Argentina, and it intrigues me. It holds a definite place in the itinerary of many travelers.

Buenos Aires, for example, has long been on the map as a destination for US expats as well as internet entrepreneurs. Among others, Tim Ferris used his trip there as fodder for his book the 4 Hour Workweek. The city has always been known for its European feel, for its meat and wine, and for its tango. Outside of Rio de Janeiro, it might be the best-known city in South America.

In terms of liveability, what I’ve mainly heard about Argentina is that it isn’t quite the geo-arbitrage destination it once was (say in ’05-’06). Prices have gone up substantially since then, and even now, Argentina is suffering from an inflation problem and some say a currency crisis in the next few years.

Nevertheless, the country is still a favorite destination for explorers of all types — backpackers to luxury travelers. I’ve recently heard from several internet types that they were able to find reasonable housing, and thus reduce their living costs substantially.

So, as usual, I’ll be interested to see if I could live there for around $1000-1200 / month, a la lively bootstrapper.

First, I’ll be heading to some other cities in central Argentina- Córdoba and Mendoza. I’ll do some recon and then evaluate things after that.

My purpose in the trip, as is usual, is not just to travel. I don’t like act of traveling (and incidentally, this trip will be spending time on buses, which I really don’t like). The purpose is to find places that I could see myself living in for extended periods of time, and to continue canvassing South America.

Any tips for Argentina? I’d be interested to hear them– leave them in the comments.

Look forward to hearing about it. Also, a warning, do not put your money in Argentinean banks, I’ve heard horror stories recently about people not being allowed to withdraw money, not being allowed to change their Argentinean pesos to other denominations, etc. Also, the banks have a history of theft and such things in Argentina–don’t trust them.